Chargers WR Crayton has wrist surgery

San Diego  San Diego Chargers wide receiver Patrick Crayton had surgery on his left wrist on Wednesday, two days after he was hurt in a victory against the Denver Broncos.

The team didn't give details about the surgery, or when or if he'll return.

Coach Norv Turner met with the media before the surgery was announced. At that point, Turner said that Crayton could be out two to three weeks.

Crayton was hurt while falling into the end zone at the end of a 40-yard catch-and-run Monday night. He had three catches for 105 yards.

Crayton's injury comes just as Pro Bowl wide receiver Vincent Jackson is preparing to make his season debut when the Chargers (5-5) visit Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts (6-4) on Sunday night. Jackson was activated off the roster exempt list on Tuesday.

Also, star tight end Antonio Gates missed practice again. He said he'd like to try to practice this week to see if his torn right plantar fascia has healed enough to allow him to play Sunday night. Gates has missed two straight games - sandwiched around the Chargers' bye week - and said the injury is still painful.

"I've still got a long week. I think the biggest key for me at this point is to somehow try to practice to get a good idea about what I can do and what I can't do, what I can tolerate, because that's going to be determination, what's tolerable and what's not," Gates said. "Probably not a full practice, but just to see how I feel and see where it takes me.

"My biggest obstacle with this is just, can I deal with the pain?" he added. "Can I deal with the pain in the game, can I deal with the pain for four quarters? Obviously they have some things that can help eliminate the pain, but it's not going to take it away. I haven't really had that game atmosphere, the adrenaline pumping, you're sweating, you're moving around, blood flowing, it's circulating through the foot, and it kind of loosens the foot up. That's probably why I need to practice sometime this week to give myself a good idea, can I go in the game and sustain it through four quarters?"

Gates hasn't played since Oct. 31. He missed a victory at Houston on Nov. 7 and Monday night's game. The Chargers have won three straight to pull into a second-place tie with Oakland in the AFC West, one game behind Kansas City.

Jackson spoke with reporters for the first time since reporting on Oct. 29. When he hadn't signed his $3,268,000, one-year tender as a restricted free agent by June 15, the Chargers slashed it by $2.5 million. After missing training camp and the first seven games, Jackson reported in time to serve his three-game suspension on the roster exempt list - he was placed there in a hardball move by general manager A.J. Smith - and then play the final six games to accrue a season toward unrestricted free agency.